


Raven Blouse and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

by Delaney_Spinazzola



Series: Raven Blouse and the Olympains [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alive Bianca di Angelo, Alive Charles Beckendorf, Alive Silena Beauregard, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fan becomes part of the books AU, Good Luke Castellan, Kinda Good Octavian, Knowledge of the future, Magic, Mentions of canon-typical cruddy homelives, Multi, Wishes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:26:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delaney_Spinazzola/pseuds/Delaney_Spinazzola
Summary: Raven knew it was stupid, she was sixteen-years-old and needed to get a grip, but somehow she still found herself staring out the window, lost in a daydream. She'd spent so much of her life being told she was insignificant and yet.... for some reason, she still dared to dream of a life in which she mattered. A life in which she was the main character of her own story for once... But that was stupid... Right?





	1. Raven

Raven Blouse had always felt it was unfair she wasn't well liked growing up.

She was an incredibly passionate sixteen-years-old girl with jet black hair and dazzling blue eyes. She was talented in art and writing and was an avid reader. She had a tendency to daydream and could talk for hours about stories she'd read and characters she'd fallen in love with. She liked swimming and the smell of freshly cut grass and carried a messy sketchbook around with her everywhere she went.

So yeah, Raven Blouse liked to believe that she was a pretty interesting and nice girl. However, despite all of that, Raven Blouse was a Sophmore in high school and therefore, doomed to not fit in. So, like all of her classmates, sitting around and staring dumbly at the whiteboard in front of them, Raven was constantly nagged by the feeling that there must be something wrong with her.

And of course, Raven knew what those things were. She had just always thought they were so silly. She never understood why they made her so unpopular... She was a little too tall, and her nose was a little too flat. She didn't have a facebook, and even though she’d downloaded Snapchat, she’d yet to figure out how to use it and she most definitely didn’t have any friends on it.  She spent way too much time reading books which weren't nearly cool enough and she talked about them for way too long after people had already stopped caring. And besides that Raven was just a little to secretive about her family. The girl practically didn't even have a social life. In fact, nobody had seen her hang out with another kid her age since the seventh grade! It was just so odd.

And, again, there was that strange obsession the girl had with those books…

Barely anyone at school ever saw her without one of Rick Riordan's books in her hands. Often times, she'd make the mistake of referring to the main characters as her "friends" and blushed in embarrassment when she caught herself.

But that sort of thing was to be expected with a girl like Raven. She simply had an overactive imagination. Teachers would shake their heads when they saw her, and Raven always knew why. She knew what they were thinking. She could hear them now, just like her mother: "That girl is going to waste her life in a daydream! She needs to get a grip and take life more seriously or she's going to waste away wishing to be part of that stupid book!"

And do you know what? They were probably right. Raven probably would have wasted her entire life wishing for such a silly thing if she hadn't decided to walk home one sunny day in late May, instead of taking the bus home.

Now, don't get the wrong idea here, Raven didn't actually believe in magic. She was sixteen after all! Some things are just too silly to believe in, even for a silly girl. She thought perhaps in another universe such a thing might be possible, but not in hers. Nothing that exciting ever happened to her…

Raven was thinking exactly this during her Geometry class, as her teacher, Mr. Beatty, concluded his explanation as to how to solve for the area of a circle. Or... At least, that's what she thought he was explaining. That was what they were learning about in class, right..? Or was that last month..? Raven wasn't sure. After awhile the days just seemed blended together in this place... Perhaps they had moved onto scatter plots now? Oh well. Raven was focused on other, frankly, more important things right now anyway.

At the moment, Raven was focused on her book. Or, she had been up until a few moments ago. She'd just finished it... Yup, Raven had just gotten through the last chapter of The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and she was already itching to get her hands on the next book, The House of Hades. Like, seriously, who ended their book on a cliffhanger like that!? And now her favorite couple in the series was in Tartarus and she couldn't even cry about it because she’d look like a complete lunatic in front of her entire sixth period class.

Probably the saddest part of the whole thing was that this wasn’t even her first time reading the books. She was rereading. But wasn’t that the mark of a great book? That it can make you feel that passionate every single time?

Mr.Beatty had just finished passing out that night’s homework assignment when the bell rang. Raven was the first out the door and was followed by the her fellow students, who joined her in the crowded hallways. Slowly everyone in Tomsberry Technical High School pushed their way through the halls on their way to their seventh period class. Raven tried to stay as close to the wall as she could, keeping out of the way and muttering a meek “Sorry..!” every time she bumped into someone. She shrunk down and tried to make herself as small as possible.

In an effort to avoid eye contact, Raven busied herself fiddling with her school supplies, trying to shoved her geometry book into the canvas bag she had slung over her shoulder, the SAIC logo printed on its front side in bright, lime-green letters. She’d gotten the bag at an open house for an art school her older sister had wanted to attend. However, her mom wouldn’t stand to send her daughter to an art school, so she was going to the University of Chicago. It was an okay school and all, but Raven knew her sister wasn’t really happy there. And to be honest, Raven wasn’t happy she was there either. It was halfway across the country, after all. She hated that she was so far away. Still, Raven couldn’t blame her sister for wanting some distance between her and her hometown. She would too. Unfortunately, Raven was stuck in Connecticut and would be for the next three and a half years.

Her mind wandered absently back to her book. What she would give to be like Percy and go on quests across the country. To go see amazing and far off places like Chicago. She could just imagine how good that would feel. The thought had her grinning and giggling to herself like a crazy person. Raven was so busy smiling to herself that she didn’t notice the tall girl walking past her, too busy talking to her friend to notice the raven haired girl in front of her. They knocked head on, and Raven’s face turned red in embarrassment, apologizing profusely, picking up her bag and books off the floor.

Raven was the last one to enter her seventh period study and settled into her seat just as the second bell sounded, signaling the start of class. Immediately her classmates, most of which were upperclassmen, started working on their homework and studying their notes, to avoid having to do the work at home. If Raven had been even slightly motivated to keep her grades up, she would have started on her homework for Mr. Beatty's class, but she wasn't, so instead, she pulled out a copy of The Titan's Curse (her favorite book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series) and began to reread the book.

Raven just had to to get The House of Hades from the library when she got the chance. Perhaps she'd walk their after school instead of taking the bus home... Yeah, that sounded good. She absolutely loved the House of Hades. Especially the parts about Percy and Annabeth. She simply couldn't believe that Percy had fallen into Tartarus for Annabeth! Percy just loved Annabeth that much, and it was amazing! Honestly that kind of love was just unstoppable. Raven thought that there were just simply some things that two people couldn't go through together and not fall in love. And that kinda love... there was just no force on earth powerful enough to tear it apart and that was just so incredible…

Raven was already on chapter four of her book (Thalia Torches New England) by the end of class. She had meant to get a little work done on her math homework, she really had, but she'd just lost track of time. Before she knew it, the kids around her were packing up their things and getting ready to head to their buses. Raven reluctantly closed her book and put it away, sighing and avoiding her study teacher's harsh glare from across the room. Ms.Gordon always gave her that look when she wasted the entire class reading her book, and Raven would be lying if she said she didn't feel a bit guilty.

It wasn't as if Raven didn't care about school. Or, that is, she wanted to care about school, but she just couldn't motivate herself enough to actually focus on it. The doctors had figured out that she had ADHD in the third grade, but knowing that didn't make focusing any easier. Her head always felt as though it were shutting down whenever she looked at her math work. It felt as though she was in a permanent fog and the only thing that could pull her out of it were the book series she spent most of her life obsessed over. School just seemed to go by so fast. It all blurred together and she lost track of things. She felt as though she was being buried in so much work it would be easier to give up than it would be to try and make it up. How on earth was she supposed to keep up with all the work she'd be getting next year as a sophomore?

Raven pushed the thought out of her head as the last bell of the day rung. She grabbed her bag off the floor next to her and followed the stream of kids out of the classroom and out of the building. Luckily for Raven, It was a good day for walking home. It was a sunny, spring day so it wasn't too cold, but it wasn't too hot either. There was a slight breeze in the air and she'd dressed for warmed weather in her favorite white shorts and pink tee.

* * *

Raven had lived in the same little town in Connecticut all her life, meaning she knew the city like the back of her hand. She knew all the streets and back roads and the coolest hangouts and the best place to get ice cream. She knew the areas of town you were supposed to avoid, but most of all, Raven always, always, always knew the quickest route to the town library. Raven spent more time in the public library than she did at her own house. Unfortunately, the quickest way from school to the library was through Greendale Square, which was probably the worst part of town there was, and while that wasn't saying that much, given how sleepy and boring her hometown usually was, the place still made her nervous. Raven always walked at a slightly faster pace as she passed through Greendale Square, with her head down and her eyes on her feet.

Raven was so busy avoiding eye contact with the panhandlers and rowdy college kids that usually hung out around the area, that she almost missed what would be the most important moment in her entire life. And also who would be the most important person in her life.

Raven had her eyes trailed on her feet and her arms folded tightly across her chest when she noticed a pair of feet. She usually didn't stop in this part of town (Mostly because as soon as she did strangers started trying to talk to her and those conversations were, usually... Well, strange, to say the least) but when the sight of two brightly colored pink and gold sandals crossed her line of vision, she stopped in her tracks thinking: Wait. That doesn't belong here.

Raven looked up to see the person wearing those pink and gold sandals but when her eyes fell upon the woman in question they nearly bugged out her head.

The woman standing in front of Raven did not belong in Greendale Square. She didn't even belong in Raven's hometown! It was like seeing a supermodel hanging out at a skate park along with the high school dropouts and wanna-be-rappers. It just didn't happen. A woman this beautiful and regal and powerful, didn't just show up in her city. Raven almost thought that she was dreaming the whole thing up because it was just so bizarre.

The woman in front of her was tall slender and fair, with rosy, bright cheeks and a slightly upturned nose. She had big, beautiful, honey-golden eyes and lips the color of cotton candy. Her dark mahogany hair was done up into a complicated updo which twisted around and around her head before flowing back down her back, coming to a stop with a gentle curl at her hips. Her dress was a brightly colored sundress of varying shades of yellow and orange and pink, like a sunset. The fabric stopped just above her ankles, showing off her beautifully sparkling sandals. golden bracelets and necklaces covered her wrists and neck.

The thing that seemed the most off about this woman to Raven, though, was the small cardboard sign gripped in her long slender fingers, which she held up for passing cars to read. The sign in her hands was identical to the ones the panhandlers held up around this part of town, hoping for loose change. She had written the word 'Hungry' across the cardboard in elegant cursive with a thick black sharpie.

People passed in front of her, looking her over and tossing scornful looks her way. A group of teenage boys even went as far as shout insults and curse words at her from across the street before laughing and walking off. After all, this woman was wearing beautiful gold jewelry and a beautiful flowing dress, who was going to believe that a woman like this was actually homeless? Most anyone would come to the conclusion that it was a scam, and judging from the evil glares the people on the sidewalks were giving the her, that's exactly what had happened.

The woman in the sunset colored dress had a look of distress in her eyes, like she was trying very hard to ignore the others around her but she was failing to keep the look of misery off her face. She looked so... _hopeless_. Even with her pretty face and jewelry the woman looked just as sad and as in need of help as any other homeless person on the streets.

Normally, Raven kept her head down and turned the other way when she saw these people. She didn't know how to interact with them and she never had any money on her, so she figured it was best to try and avoid conversation. However, with this woman, Raven made an exception. No one else was going to help her, so Raven forced down her nerves, bit her lip and walked over.

Pulling her brown paper lunch bag out of her canvas bag, Raven approached the woman and offered her lunch to her with shyness evident in her voice.

"I, um, don't have any money on me," Raven explained, "But I thought... If you're hungry... I almost never eat lunch, so if you wanted it... My sister made it for me."

The woman and Raven stared at each other for a long while. The woman's eyes were unreadable, as if she were off somewhere far, far away. It felt odd to Raven. Like the woman saw her, but, at the same time, didn't see her..? But after awhile the woman smiled, showing off her perfect, pearly white teeth. With a knowing look, she reached out and took the brown paper bag from Raven.

"Thank you," The woman said. "That's very kind of you. Not many people are kind to me now days."

"I... I'm sorry to hear that..." Raven said.

"No need to be sorry, child," The woman smiled. "I can see the beauty in your heart. You will make a wonderful hero... Here, I must give you something in exchange for your kindness!"

Raven's cheeks turned red at the word hero. _Yeah right,_ Raven couldn't help but think, _I'm far from anything even resembling a hero..._ Not that she didn't want to be one, it was just that, Raven had never believed it was possible. The idea had been shot down too many times for her to believe it any more than she believed in magic.

Raven shook her head at the old woman, flustered, "No! No! You don't have to give me anything. I wasn't going to eat it anyway, I just..."

"Don't be silly, my child. You must accept my gift. Here my darling, take this." She held out her hand calmly to Raven and smiled knowingly. Raven nervously held out her hand to the woman, who dropped a small golden coin into her hand, no bigger that a quarter with a picture of a grasshopper etched into the metal.

"What is it..?" Raven asked before she could stop herself. He eyes scanned the coin in curiosity.

The woman smiled at Raven's intrigue and laughed a little, as if the question had amused her. Her eyes seemed to shift shades from honey colored, to a soft orange, as she held out a small note card, trimmed with gold. She placed the card in Raven's hand along with the coin and pointed a long, slender finger at the coin.

"That coin is magic, my dear, didn't you know?" The woman smiled.

Raven frowned, "I know magic's not real, ya know. I'm sixteen."

"Oh no, my darling, magic _is_ real, no matter what your age is!" The woman chuckled, as if Raven had just said the silliest thing in the world. "And this will prove it, you see? Take this card and write down your heart's deepest desire on it, then, place a glass of water over the paper. If you drop this coin into the water tonight at midnight, then all your wishes will be made a reality. Isn't that wonderful?"

Raven recoiled slightly.

"Yes," Raven agreed inching away, "Wonderful."

"I suppose you have to be going, my dear," The woman sighed. "So goodbye for now, but I do hope we see one another again... Until then, enjoy your books."

Raven didn't stick around long enough to ask how the woman knew she was into reading. It was clear that the woman was nuts, and Raven's sister had told her a million times not to talk to strangers, so she was pretty sure she'd have a heart attack if she caught Raven talking with some lunatic in Greendale Square...

Raven pocketed the coin and card the woman had given her and sped up her pace as she walked down the street. Honestly, she had no need for the coin or card, but she didn’t want the woman to see her discard it.

After the incident with the pretty beggar woman Raven decided to skip the library and headed straight home.

* * *

Raven's house was an old, white Victorian, looming over her street like a dark and forbidden castle, half hidden in the trees. The area around her house was made of thick woods, which Raven had spent most of her childhood exploring with her sister. When she opened the front door and walked into the entryway, Raven grimaced.

The entryway had always been Raven’s least favorite part of the house. Directly to her left, her mother had hung this stupid family picture on the wall for everyone to see. It depicted their loving family sitting together, smiling and enjoying each other's company like a perfect family usually does. Her mother and father stood in the back with their arms wrapped around each other, like all beautiful and happily married couples do. In the front, Raven was standing with her arms wrapped loosely around her older brother, Colby's, neck. Raven's older sister, Kelleigh, stood on Colby's other side, grinning merrily. It was the happiest picture they had of their family in the house.

It made Raven sick…

When she entered the house, Raven took a turn into the living room. It was late May and most colleges had been out for a week or so now, which meant that Kelleigh had been home for a few days now. She was sitting on the family's large red couch sketching cartoonish faces with round noses and punk-style hair. The kind of hair she always talked about wanting, but their mother would never let her have. Instead, Kelleigh was stuck with her usual shoulder length, golden brown blunt cut.

Raven had always kind of been jealous of Kelleigh’s hair. Their mom was Vietnamese and their father was white, so Raven and her siblings were mixed. That's how Raven had ended up with her black hair and blue eyes. Their brother, Colby, had always looked the most like their mother, with the same black hair as Raven and eyes the color of coal. Kelleigh was the only one of the three children who'd adopted their father's light brown colored hair.

Kelleigh glanced up from her sketchbook when Raven entered the room. Her eyes were dark like their mother's but they always seemed to have their own warm glow to them. The corners of her lips curled upwards on one side as Raven sighed heavily and set down her bag.

"Rough day?" Kelleigh asked as Raven flopped down on the unoccupied side of the couch.

"Percabeth," Raven whined.

"Ah," Kelleigh nodded in understanding, turning back to her sketchbook. Normally, Raven's rambling didn't make any sense to anyone, but it did to Kelleigh and Raven loved her for it. Whether that was because she'd just gotten used to it by now, or because she'd been the one to introduce her to the Percy Jackson series in the first place, Raven didn't know. She'd never really been compelled to ask. She'd graciously accepted it, no questions asked.

Just as Raven had begun to settle, there was a loud bang coming from the room above them. Colby's room. No doubt Raven's older brother had gotten frustrated, playing those stupid, first-person shooter games he'd been obsessed with for the past few months and lashed out at some innocent object in his room. Honestly, Raven should have expected the sudden outburst, but it still made her jump.

Kelleigh simply rolled her eyes. Something Raven had to add to the long list of things she admired about her sister. Kelleigh was always so calm and collected. Raven credited this to her stay in Chicago. She didn't know for sure, but Raven thought that perhaps moving to the city made all their childhood troubles seem small in Kelleigh’s eyes.

Raven could hear Colby's muffled swearing from all the way down in the living room. She settled back down into the couch.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you," Kelleigh warned. "Mom told me she'd be late home from work tonight. Said you'd better have homework done by time she gets home."

"Ugh," Raven sighed. "I don't have any."

"Nice try," Kelleigh gave her little sister a sly look. "I already checked your school email. You have math, go do it."

"I need to change all my account passwords, don't I?" Raven pouted.

"Hun, you've been using the password 'Brianna1022' since you made your first Webkinz account, you're not changing it now," Kelleigh said, smartly. To be fair, it was Kelleigh who had told Raven that her middle name and her birthday made for a pretty safe password in the first place. It wasn’t her fault she was obvious.

"No," Raven agreed, huffing in defeat. "But stay off my social media accounts, okay?"

"Maybe if you're nice to me," Kelleigh teased.

Raven reluctantly stood, grabbing her bag off the chair where she'd left it and shouldering it once more, tossing her sister a cheeky smile. "Aren't I always?"

Kelleigh laughed as Raven made her way upstairs. Even though Raven was irritated at the thought of being forced to suffer through her math homework, she couldn't help but smile. Her big sister had always had that effect on her.

Kelleigh was probably Raven's best friend, which was sad, but true. Since as long as Raven could remember she'd been looking up to Kelleigh in awe. Kelleigh was everything Raven wished she could be. She was funny and smart, anyone could tell you that, but Raven also knew just how brave and compassionate she was, as well. She'd been looking out for Raven since the day she was born. She picked her up whenever she fell down, and helped dust her off again. She was the one who taught Raven how to ride a bike and taught her to love books. Raven had always had the itching suspicion in the back of her mind that Kelleigh was the only person who had ever really cared about her.

Raven passed Colby's room on the way down the hall, being careful to skirt around his door as much as possible, staying close to the opposite wall. The sounds of Colby's sailor mouth was muffled slightly by the door but it was just as foul as always. Raven quickly passed by, shaking her head slightly. She made her way, quietly, to the door at the end hall, and up the stairs that lead to the attic, where her bedroom lay exactly how she'd left it that morning (A.K.A a mess.)

Raven's bedroom was painted an off-white creme color, with shiny hardwood floors and a slanted roof. There was a single window on either side of the room, covered by flowing pink curtains which she'd had since she was little. There was a warm bed in the corner cover by the softest blanket on planet earth. The bedside table was painted bright yellow with a pale green lamp placed on the back corner. A flashlight was placed where Raven could reach in easily from in her bed. It was perfect for late-night reading. There was a dark mahogany desk placed in the opposite corner of the room for homework but if Raven were being honest, that space had been set aside for drawing and writing long, long ago.

Raven set her bag down on the desk chair and flopped back onto her bed. Sure, she said she'd do her homework, but she'd never said when. She scooted to the end of the bed and felt around underneath the mattress until her hand grasp the edge of her laptop. She pulled it out and settled in, her legs tucked neatly under her like always. Her classmates and teachers had told her before it was odd way to sit, but it had always come naturally to Raven. She opened the laptop and typed in 'Brianna1022'.

* * *

Flash forward several hours later and Raven hadn't moved an inch. That is, if you didn't count her hands, which moved about the keyboard wildly, clicking away at the keyboard. She'd neglected to look at the clock for hours so she was surprised when she heard her phone buzz, displaying the time which read 10:30. Oh boy…

Raven looked down at her phone and noticed a text from a "Thalia Grace."

She knew it was nerdy, but everyone in her contacts had been named after Percy Jackson characters. Kelleigh had been dubbed Thalia because they were both brave and powerful feminists who were a little punk, stood up for the people they cared about and were amazing big sisters who took care of their little siblings. Raven thought it was a nice fit.

Raven opened messages and read the text: "Hey, how’s the HW coming?"

Raven cursed under her breath. She'd forgot... Quickly she texted back: "Almost done," which was a complete lie. She hadn't even started. (She blamed the ADHD.)

Raven’s phone quickly buzzed again.

"Finish it in ur study hall 2marrow. Time 4 bed."

Raven smirked. Sweet, Kelleigh hadn't even asked to look it over. _Score_. She would have felt pretty guilty explaining her lie to her sister. She hated lying to Kelleigh about anything, but, alas, Fanfiction took top priority.

Raven grabbed a pair of pajamas and made her way down the stairs. She opened the door and immediately became aware of how quiet the house was. Something was off... Something was missing…

_The cursing._

The realization came a moment too late and before Raven could make it into the bathroom for a hot shower, Colby's bedroom door swung open. The two siblings immediately locked eyes in an intense stare.

Raven's brother had a good few inches on her and a messy mop of black hair lay in tangles atop his head. He had on his usual black hoodie a pair of ripped jeans, and nasty scowl. As always, Colby looked as though he hadn't slept in several days, which as far as Raven knew, he hadn't. His face was sprinkled with sparse, uneven patches of facial hair and his stomach stuck out oddly on his lanky frame.  

Colby was a year older than Kelleigh, but he wasn't in college like their sister, a fact which Raven was practically forbidden to mention in the house. Every time she did their mother would act as though she'd suggested he'd killed a bunch of puppies or something and shriek at her. "Do not look down on him because of that, young lady! Lots of boys your brother's age take gap years! Besides, let's see how you fair in a few years, missy!"

Ah, yes, her mother. Always the optimist…

Colby fixed his eyes on Raven and shot her a glare. Immediately Raven's muscles tensed and she pursed her lips tightly. Colby wrinkled his nose at her as if she was something disgusting he'd scrapped off the bottom of his shoe. It was a look she’d definitely be sending back in his direction if only she had the nerve. However much Raven loved her sister, she hated her brother the same amount.

"What are you looking at?" Colby raised his eyebrow, narrowing his eyes at her.

Raven averted her gaze, her whole body tense. Colby seemed to notice this because she could see the corners of his mouth turn upwards out of the corner of her eye.

Colby scoffed, "Is mom home?"

"I don't know."

"Useless," Colby muttered. "Did she text you?"

"Why would she text me before she texted you?" Raven asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. It was no secret in their house that Colby was their mother’s favorite.

Colby rolled his eyes and sneered at her. "Shut up. Don’t be such a brat. All I did was ask you a question."

"All you did..?" Raven scoffed under her breath, before she could stop herself.

"What was that?" Colby snapped at her, stepping too close for Raven's comfort. Raven mentally cursed herself for opening her big mouth and glanced towards the bathroom door. It was all she could do not to gag on the smell of his body spray. Colby loomed over her causing Raven's hands to shake anxiously as he hissed his words, dangerously, "If you have something to say, say it to my face."

Raven shut her mouth.

"That's what I thought," Colby sneered, laughing under his breath, "One day someone's gonna teach you a lesson about running that mouth of yours. Everyone knows you don't have the guts to actually do anything, so keep her mouth shut. It's pathetic."

Raven's cheeks felt as though they were on fire. She wished, just once, she could clock her brother square in the nose. She wished she could make him feel as pathetic as he thought she was. As he made her feel... Often times her fondest daydreams were that of her getting her revenge on Colby for making her life miserable. She wanted to push him away and tell him "The only pathetic one in this stupid house is the twenty-year-old dude still living with his parents, playing video games with a bunch of thirteen-year-olds, and trying to mask the smell of his cigarettes with cologne!"

Instead, Raven saw a opportunity for escape and took it, disappearing into the bathroom and locking the door behind her, leaning against the door and breathing a sigh of relief.

As she turned the shower on and took off her socks and sneakers, Raven was fuming. She hated him. Hate, hate, hated him! No one ever believed her when she told them that, but she really did. Her classmates would always respond with the usual, "Oh, yeah! I totally get it. I can't stand my little brother. He's always getting into my things, I hate him!" That thought always made Raven angry. How had the word "hate" become so common? Now days it was just thrown around without any appreciation for it's meaning. Everyone nowadays "hated" their siblings, so no one took Raven seriously when she said she hated her brother.

And what Raven hated the most about Colby was that he was mostly right. She was kind of pathetic... She'd never had the guts to stick up for herself. That's why she'd always relied on Kelleigh so much to do it for her. She was pretty sure that was why Kelleigh had introduced her to the Percy Jackson books in the first place, to show her that _anyone_ could be a hero. Kelleigh wanted Raven to be strong like that too. But Raven knew she'd just disappoint her if she tried.

But, on the plus side, Raven had found several heroes to look up to and admire with all her heart, even if she knew she could never really be like them.

Raven stared at herself in the mirror, cheeks turning red. For once in her life she wished she could look into a mirror without Colby's stupid words ringing in her head.

 _Stupid. Worthless. Pathetic. Burden. Accident. Loser. Brat. Waste of space._ The list went on.

Gods, she wished he'd just get out of her life. Or better yet, she wished he'd stay in it so she had the satisfaction of watching him suffer... She wanted revenge for the past sixteen years of torment she'd endured. The last sixteen years of torment _he'd_ put her through. And then no one would ever be able to treat her like that again... Gods, she wished…

Raven was brought out of thought when she heard a soft thunk on the floor next to her. Looking down, she noticed something shiny and round on the floor. It was that weird looking coin that beggar lady had given her.

A half-formed thought playing in her mind, Raven dug the note card she'd been given out of her pants pocket and set it on the glass ledge above the sink. Glancing towards to door, Raven though that Colby must have gone back to playing on his Xbox because she could heard the faint sound of fake gunshots coming from the other room. Glowering, Raven groped around the bathroom for a pen.

A moment later, Raven found a mechanical pencil under the radiator and returned to the sink, scribbling madly on the golden trimmed note card in front of her. She didn't think, she just wrote, and when she was done she pulled her hand away and read what she'd written.

"I want to live in a universe where the characters in my books are real. I wanna grow up with them and become a strong hero like they are. I want to be the daughter of Nemesis so that I can get justice for everything I’ve been put through."

Raven didn’t actually believed it would ever come true. How could it? It was just a silly story some crazy woman had told her. But the thought sure made her feel better. The thought of escaping into her book for real. Permanently. The thought was almost too good. Besides that, as the daughter of Nemesis, no one would mess with her again. With the goddess of revenge as her mother, she'd never stop to think about taking revenge on her brother, or anyone else, ever again. She'd never take another insult ever again without fighting back.

Raven found herself imagining it. Following Percy and Annabeth and Grover on their first quest. Meeting her favorite characters. What would she say to them? She had no idea, but she could imagine that they'd be friends. She liked reading just as much as Annabeth and her and Percy both had ADHD that affected them in school. She could spare with him during sword fighting lessons, and he'd flash her one of his trouble-maker smiles. She could sit and read with Annabeth and talk with her for hours about books. She could see herself encouraging Grover and helping him on his crusade to save the wild of planet earth.

Raven couldn't help but sigh happily at the thought of meeting Nico di Angelo. He'd always been one of her favorite characters and she could just imagine meeting him and being able to show him that there was, in fact, someone out there who understood how he felt. She could see herself confiding in Jason and joking with Leo. She could see herself fawning over Hazel, who was just simply precious and giving Frank some much needed -and well deserved- praise and encouragement.

Raven could almost imagine the adventures she'd go on. She could go running a muck in the underworld and go fighting with -and against- the gods. She'd go sailing in the sea of monsters and escape the cyclops Polyphemus. Her heart leap at the thought of running through the snowy woods with the goddess Artemis and her hunters. She'd fight Titans and meet demigods! She'd go to Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter and ride aboard the Argo II!!

Raven was getting carried away with her daydreaming just as she heard a door open and shut in the hallway outside. The sound of Colby's footsteps on the stairs cut her fantasy short just before she could imagine herself defeating Gaea side by side with her heroes. The sound brought her clashing back down to reality with every cruel thud of feet on stairs.

 _Just as well,_ Raven thought, _there's no point it fantasizing about it anyway, it could never actually happen. It was just a stupid dream…_

* * *

Raven finished her shower and changed into a pair of red flannel pajamas, wrapping her hair up in a towel. She brushed her teeth and washed away the last of that day's makeup. Setting down her toothbrush, Raven pick her small note card from off the glass ledge. She felt a little silly now, after thinking it over in the shower. All this pent up anger and the best she could do was write down an angry wish on a note card? She couldn't help but give a small, bitter laugh as she made her way back out of the bathroom, and down the hall.

At the top of the stairs, Raven could heard voices coming from downstairs in the living room.

"I don't know why you even care," Colby growled, "It's not like it's any of your business, anyway. Leave me alone, you're so annoying."

"It's my business because that's my little sister, okay," Kelleigh snapped back with the same edge in her voice as Colby had. "If you wanna talk about leaving anyone alone, how about you leave her alone. You don't need to start something every time you see her. It's sick, you know that?"

"Seriously?" Colby sighed, Raven could practically hear him roll his eyes, "All I did was ask her what time mom was getting home. _She_ was rude to _me_. I can't help it if she's a stupid little brat who doesn't know when to shut up. If you ask me, you should spend a little less time bothering me and spend a little more time trying to extract that stick from your sister's-"

"Well I didn't ask you, now did I! God, just grow up, would you!?" Kelleigh talked over him with a slight snarl in her voice. The conversation devolved into incoherent yelling and Raven stood there for a moment, listening to the fight escalate. Her eyes stung and she felt a couple of tears escape as she backed away from the stairs and disappeared back into the attic. After so many months of having to fight her own battles while Kelleigh was off at college, Raven couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the relief that her sister was back.

It was selfish, Raven knew, leaving her sister to deal with Colby on her own. Wanting Kelleigh, who had done nothing but love and cherish her to take the brunt of the trouble she’d caused with her brother but Raven just couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to sneak around her own house anymore or look for reasons to stay after school to avoid her family. And with Kelleigh back, she could. She didn't have to feel afraid. She felt protected and she would never be able to repay Kelleigh for that.

Raven glanced down at the time, displayed on her phone screen. 11:54

How'd it get to be so late? It seemed like it was 10:30 just a few minutes ago…

Grabbing a cup off the bookshelf, Raven slipped back downstair and filled it up with water in the bathroom before making her way back to bed. She downed half the water in the glass before setting it down on the nightstand next to her, her golden trimmed wish-card serving as a coaster. She settled into bed and shut off her electronics. She usually woke up the best in the morning if she went to bed around midnight. She never knew why. She just did. She slipped her laptop back under the mattress and plugged her phone into it's charger.

Raven settled peacefully into her bed, trying to shut her brain off, but something in the back of her mind kept her awake. It was like a mix of deja vu, and that feeling you get when your forgetting something. It was as if she knew something was supposed to be happening. She glanced down at the clock.

11:58

Without thinking, Raven jumped out of bed, a strange sort of instinct driving her. She dug around in her pant's pocket for the golden coin the beggar woman had given and returned to bed. Laying on her side to face her bedside table, she watched the clock turn from 11:59 to 12:00 before dropping the coin into glass of water on her bedside table, just as the woman had told her.

Raven screwed her eyes closed tightly, perhaps expecting something. Anything, really. She kept them closed and waited in anticipation for a moment... Then two…

Finally, Raven opened her eyes and exhaled deeply. Of course. Nothing had happened. Why would it? She was just a little girl from a dull, boring town. Nothing exciting ever happened to her. Nothing even _good_ happened to her, so why on earth would she even begin to believe that something _magical_ could happen to her? She felt silly for being disappointed, but she couldn't help it. It would be pretty cool if her wish really had come true.

But again, she was too old to believe in magic, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,  
> This is Delaney and that was chapter one of Raven Blouse and the Olympians. If you liked it, please leave a kudos or comment your thoughts below. I'll be posting new chapters of this story every other Saturday.  
> For more of my stuff and to get updates you can follow me on Twitter (@laneyspinazzola), Instagram (@delaneyspinazzola) and on Tumblr (https://delaneyspinazzola.tumblr.com/)  
> I really appricate any feedback you guys could give me and please let me know if there's anything I should tag that I missed. Thanks!!  
> -Delaney


	2. Raven

Raven had never had a stranger dream in her life.

It had started the worst way any dream could start. She was lost. Lost, laying in the middle of a big, dark forest, that seemed to stretch on for miles in every direction. She could barely see what was around her in the blackness. In fact, the only reason Raven knew it was a forest at all, was because, she could feel rough bark and dirt underneath her. She felt as though she had to get away from this place, but she couldn't move... Cold sunk into her bones. Cold and emptiness and hopelessness.

There was a voice in the back of her head. It sounded oddly like her brother's as it told her: _You deserve this. You're pathetic and useless and you deserve to be alone here._ Raven squeezed her eyes shut as if that would somehow make the voice go away, but it didn’t. She felt tears on her cheeks and and her throat constricted painfully.

But just before she let out the first anguished sob, Raven was surprised to feel a soft, warm hand lifting her chin gently.

Opening her eyes in surprise, Raven was shocked to find she wasn’t alone in the darkness anymore. A woman was kneeling gracefully in front of her. Warm, golden light rolled off her body in gentle, misted waves and settling like fog on the ground around her. Raven would find that she couldn't remember the rest of woman's face when she woke up the next morning, but the memory of those deep, beautiful eyes would forever be etched into her mind. They gaze at Raven with the most sincere look of empathy and understanding and… hope. So much so that Raven almost didn’t question this strange woman’s appearance.

Wordlessly the woman placed a kiss on Raven's forehead.

“My dearest, Raven, you have never been useless,” she said, soothingly, laying Raven’s inner fears to rest with a stroke of her fingers through Raven’s jet black hair. “There are people out there who need you… But darling, you must understand, you cannot count on others to guide you on this journey. You must become the guide yourself.” With a single flick of her wrist, she pulled a match out of thin air. She reached down with a smile and deposited it in Raven’s cold, dirt-covered hand. “Lonely as it may be, they’re counting on you to light their path, Raven. Are you willing?”

Before Raven had even a moment to respond, she was plunged into darkness once more. The woman was gone and Raven was left alone in the darkness one more. The match in her hand and the words ringing in her head were her only reminders that the woman had ever even appeared at all…

_They’re counting on you to light their path_

Raven wanted to be needed. She wanted it so bad. She wanted to light the path, even if she wasn’t sure who for. She just didn't know how... It was so dark. It was so cold. She felt helpless. She clutched the match tightly in her hand.

The match…

Raven opened her eyes in realization. She knew what she wanted. She realized the chance that had been handed to her. And suddenly it all clicked. She could feel the strength returning to her muscles and the warmth return to her bones. The woman’s question rang in her ears:

Are you willing?

Raven didn't hesitate. She lifted her hand, she struck the match, and in no time at all, she’d set the forest ablaze.

And then Raven woke up.

* * *

When Raven woke up that morning, she wasn't really thinking about her dream too much.

Sure, for the first few moments after she awoke, Raven might have wondered what that was all about, but it didn’t take too long for her eyes to fly open and for her brain to start to focus on more pressing matters. For example: Why in the world was she sleeping on the concrete ground, outside, in an alleyway, instead of in her bed!?

Once Raven's mind caught up with her eyes and she realized where she was, her strange dreams of forests and mysterious women and matches were all but forgotten. Raven could feel the last bits of hopefulness and confidence from her dream, fading out from her chest, only to be replaced with dread as she tried to make sense of her surrounding.

To her horror, Raven had found herself nestled in a thick silvery-white blanket, wedged behind a dumpster in a back alleyway. The brick walls surrounding her were tall and stretched up to the sky, like skyscrapers. From the entrance of the alleyway, she could hear the sounds of heavy traffic and people passing by.

It took half a second for Raven to stand up and scramble away from the dumpster, letting out a strangled screech. Where was she? How did she get here?? What in the world was going on!? She clearly wasn’t in her cozy, Connecticut bedroom anymore... Heck, Raven wasn't even in her cozy Connecticut _hometown_ anymore.

 _Oh gods_ , Raven realized, _I’m in the city. A big city. But… which city?_

Raven had no clue, but she got the sinking feeling she was far, far away from where she was supposed to be… Pressing her lips together with eyes wide, Raven let the air press out of her lungs in a silent scream.

Had she been kidnapped or something? Was this someone’s sick idea of a joke? She ran her hands through her short, black hair in frustration, pacing.

Wait… Raven didn't have short hair… she hadn't for years. Her hair was usually long enough to graze her shoulder blades. She hadn’t had hair this short since… Raven looked down. Her hands were... _smaller_ than usual… and she didn't feel as tall either.

But most concerning of all was that Raven was no longer dressed in her red flannel pajamas anymore. Not that she necessarily wanted to be stuck in the middle of the city in red flannel pajamas, but if she wasn't wearing them now and she didn't change them herself… Did that mean someone else had changed her? Raven’s stomach shifted uncomfortably at the thought. Gods, maybe it was better not to think about it...

Instead of pajamas, Raven found herself in a flowy, white racer-back tank top and solid black bike shorts, that hugged her legs snuggly. A thin, light blue hoodie sat lightly on her shoulders, with sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her feet were covered in a pair of black sneakers. The outfit was light. Functional. Easy to move in…

Raven shifted, trying to get a better look at the outfit when her foot made contact with a bag at her feet. She paused. For some reason, she instantly knew it was her’s. Only… it wasn't her usual canvas bag that she carried around for school, it was an army green backpack with light brown leather trim. Instinctually, she scooped it up and, put it on.

Raven didn’t know why she was in this mess or what had brought her here, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to stand around a dumpster trying to figure it out. She needed to get out of here and find some answers… More specifically, she needed a mirror. Then maybe she could figure out whether she'd really shrunk or not.

And more importantly, she could get a look at her hair…

To Raven’s surprise, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground when she picked up the backpack and with a flash of recognition, she noticed the golden border on the card. Like the one the beggar woman had given her the other day to write her wish on. Quickly, she grabbed the card up off the ground and examined it.

When she read it, Raven blinked, stunned. This wasn’t just _like_ the card the beggar woman had given her to write her wish on, this was the card the beggar woman had given her to write her wish on. The only difference was now, under her wish, written in neat, elegant, gold letters were the words:

_Wish Granted_

Raven nearly dropped the card, her eyes widening.

“That’s… Impossible...” she breathed. This was a joke. This had to be a joke. There was literally nothing else this could be _but_ a joke, right? _Right_!?

Raven shoved the card quickly into her backpack and nearly ran out of the alleyway, looking around for any sign at all that this was some kinda dream, because it couldn’t be real. That was crazy. There was no way that crazy beggar woman had been telling the truth and there was no way that, by some crazy turn of events, her wish to be part of the Percy Jackson books had actually come true. She couldn’t have actually become the daughter of a revenge goddess, could she?  
Raven’s eyes scanned the area, wide and unblinking until-

Raven froze. Right across the street she saw a set of huge iron gates surrounded by a brick wall. A sign to the left of the gate said “Yancy Academy” on it clear as day. But… That couldn't be possible… There _was_ no Yancy Academy. Raven would know. She'd checked.

“Oh my gods...” Raven whispered, “What’s even happening right now…”

Before Raven did anything else she turned in the opposite direction and rushed down the street. If her wish really did come true, she’d said that she wanted to ‘grow up with the characters in her book,’ and if that meant what she'd meant it to mean, then that could only mean one thing, and if that turned out to be true, well then, there was no way this _could_ be a joke.

A few blocks down, Raven found a McDonalds and made her way inside, slipping into the bathroom without anyone noticing. She wasn’t entirely sure who she was hiding from, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

Locking the door behind her, Raven turned around and slumped against it, breathing a deep, stress-filled sigh. She felt like she was still dreaming. Her heart was beating like a drum in her chest and her mind was racing. This was it. This was the final test. If her wish really had been granted, then this would prove it.

After a few solid minutes of standing there and trying to come to grips with what she might find when she turned around, Raven finally closed her eyes and held her breath, taking a few steps into the bathroom and turning to take a good, long look in the mirror.

Raven’s breath left her in a gasp. She stood there with an awestruck expression on her face as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Slowly, never taking her eyes off herself, she turned her head from side to side in amazement.

She, Raven Blouse, was officially twelve-years-old again.

Raven’s light curls were cut short enough that they just barely brushed over the tops of her shoulders as she turned her head from side to side. It was cut in the exact same style as it had been in sixth grade. Her pale, ivory skin had completely cleared of any acne which she was used to covering up with make-up and her face seemed much rounder and her eyes wider with youth. On top of all that, she’d shrunk a good couple of inches and right above her right eyebrow, there was a mole her mother had had her get removed just before her thirteenth birthday.

She looked so… _young_.

Raven quickly turned away from the girl in the mirror. Her head was spinning and if she looked at the twelve-year-old version of herself in the mirror any longer she was sure she'd pass out. There was no denying it now. She was really twelve-years-old again and heck, if that wasn’t magic she didn’t know what was.

“This is really happening,” Raven murmured to herself. “My wish… came true??”

She knew that sounded crazy, but it was the only explanation she could think of that explained everything. How she'd ended up here, why she was suddenly twelve again, and how it was possible for there to be a Yancy Academy outside when she knew for a fact it didn't exist.

So that meant… Raven was really inside her favorite book series, and, being twelve, she was same age as Percy and Annabeth. So that meant she was at the beginning of _The Lightning Thief_... And that she was now the daughter of Nemesis.

Thinking back on it now, Raven berated herself for making her wish while she was angry. Why'd she have to pick Nemesis? All she’d been able to think of at the time was wanting revenge on her brother and she’d just kinda written it down on impulse. Gods, if only she'd known it was going to come true, she would have picked Apollo or Athena or someone like that. Raven sighed. She supposed there was no changing her mind now, though...

Slowly, Raven settled down on the bathroom floor and hugged her knees. She had no idea how she was supposed to feel about all of this… Was she supposed to be happy or completely freaked out. More than anything, she just felt dazed and confused.

She was still debating on what she should be feeling at the moment when she slipped off her backpack off her shoulders and set it down on the floor next to her. It gave a heavy _clunk_ as it hit the floor.

 _That was strange_ , Raven thought to herself. _The bag didn't feel heavy._

In fact, it felt as though there was nothing inside besides maybe a few papers or a box of pencils. Curious, she opened it. To her surprise, she found much more than a few papers inside. In fact, the first thing, Raven pulled out of her bag was a bronze dagger.

Raven eyes widened as she stared at the blade. Intricate designs were carved over its blade and its handle fit perfectly in her palm, as if the blade was meant for her. However, that thought made her stomach knot nervous and Raven immediately set the blade down. She’d never handled a weapon before. Would she have to learn how to use it now? Would she be any good? What if she was terrible at it or got herself hurt?

Pushing those thoughts away, Raven went back to examining the content of her bag.

The next thing Raven pulled out of her bag was a small, leather bound book. She looked through it and quickly realized what it was. A book of prophecies. Every prophecy from the Percy Jackson series was written down for her in these pages. And beyond that, there were some she didn't even recognize from the books. Some of them seemed familiar to her while others made no sense at all. Some were even roman from the looks of it.

A blue, seashell encrusted choker fell out of the bag next. Raven had no idea what it was for or why it was in there, but, if this was the world of Percy Jackson, Raven guessed it could be a magical item, like Annabeth’s baseball cap. Carefully and with bated breath, She put it on. When nothing happened she sighed, though she didn’t know whether it was from relief or disappointment.

The last things Raven pulled from her bag, were her own battered copies of the Percy Jackson series, along with fresh copies of the last few books she didn't yet have.

The books Raven was now a part of…

Raven gingerly picked up her old, beat-up, paperback copy of _The Lighting Thief_. It's binding was worn and part of it's back cover had been ripped off from the time she’d shoved it into her backpack a little to hastily after a particularly nasty fight with her brother. She’d been so upset when she’d realized what she’d done, she’d complained to her sister that it was practically sacrilege.

Raven ran her fingers over the battered binding of the book and memories flooded her senses. Years of escaping into these pages. Falling in love with its heroes. Dreaming of its stories and wanting more than anything to be a part of them. She recalled her fanciful daydream from the night before, just after she'd written the wish down, about going on quests with her favorite heroes and becoming their friends… She remembered the joy that had pooled in her stomach for just a moment when she thought about the adventures and travels and laughter and fun she’d have. That was why she made the wish, right? So she could have that. Or at least, pretend for a moment that she could have that.

And now… she really _did_ have that...

She could be the heroine she always dreamed of being, instead of just some useless waste of space. She would never have to stand by while Colby made her feel that way ever again. She could prove him wrong. She could go to _Camp Half-Blood_..! Never again would she have to step foot in that stupid school only to feel like a failure. She could find other kids, _demigods_ , who also had ADHD, just like her and instead of feeling like an idiot for it, she would finally find a place where those things were a strength.

And those were the things she loved about the world of Percy Jackson, weren’t they? They were the reasons she always escaped here. Because she never felt like a disappointment or a failure here. Here, she was finally given the second chance she’d always dreamed of. She could be a hero. She could be whatever she wanted.

_She was free…_

Raven let out a laugh, running her hands through her hair in disbelief, feeling lighter than she had in years. Like a huge burden had been lifted from off her shoulders. This was _incredible_.

Raven pulled herself up off the ground and gazed at her reflection in the mirror once more, just to remind herself that it was real. Seeing her twelve-year-old self staring back with a ridiculous grin of pure joy on her face, Raven let out a involuntary whoop of happiness, laughing.

Quickly, Raven shoved her things back into her bag and slung it over her shoulders, beginning to pace.

Okay, so she'd gotten her wish… Now what? She knew she wanted to be a part of these books, but she hadn’t really thought of what she wanted to do now that she was here. Raven supposed what she wanted now was to make friends with Percy and Annabeth and all the other main characters in the series. But if she wanted to get close to Percy and the others… She supposed that meant tagging along on all their quests and adventures throughout the book.

But would that bring her closer to her favorite characters or would it only make them annoyed with her…? Afterall, she was a pretty useless demigod; all she had was a few book and a dagger of celestial bronze. She’d never even fought before, and she didn’t have any cool powers like Percy. Perhaps she would simply be making herself a burden. Or maybe she could use her knowledge of the books on their journeys to stay out of trouble? Afterall, she knew what would happen, so she could avoid getting in anyone’s way.

Raven paused, the words replaying in his head: _She knew what would happen._

Raven… Raven knew _the future_. If Percy Jackson had taught her anything, it was that that was a powerful weapon in and of itself. She could use it. She could do something with it. She could… She could… She could _change_ things… She could make them _better_.

Raven had thought up a plan in a matter of minutes: She could use her knowledge of the future to help Percy and his companions. She could stop all the terrible things she knew would happen in going happen. Like Bianca di Angelo’s death, or Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard having to sacrifice himself.

Raven figured she’d have to be careful about how she did things, though. She couldn't change things to the point where she complete derail the books, then she wouldn’t have any knowledge at all about what happened next because it would be _too_ different. She would have to find ways to balance things out when she changed. As long as certain key events still happened, she could keep the books on course while still fixing things.

Raven sat down on the bathroom floor once more and dug around in her bag. Amazingly, she found a pen, although she was sure it hadn't been in there before… Shaking her head, she pulled out her copy of _The Lighting Theif_ as well and turned to the inside of its ripped cover, hastily, making a list:

  1. Don't go in Lotus Casino
  2. Stop Grover from almost getting dragged to Tartarus
  3. Make sure Reyna gets off Circe’s Island safely
  4. Save Bianca di Angelo
  5. Save Zoë Nightshade
  6. Stop the Battle of the Labyrinth from happening
  7. Save Charles and Silena
  8. Stop Nico from turning Percy over to Hades
  9. Let Annabeth and Sally Jackson know that Percy is safe
  10. Stop war between the romans and the greeks
  11. Stop Percabeth from falling into Tartarus 



Those were the eleven most important things Raven decided she had to do. She was sure there were others as well, especially in the last two books, but for now these were her top priorities.

Raven fidgeted with the pen in her hand. It felt like there was something else she was forgetting. Or something she was overlooking at least...

And then everything stopped. There was a flash of white and her heart felt like it was pounding in her chest. Colors flashed before her eyes rapidly, randomly at first, but after a moment, images formed before her eyes. A wrecked temple with large, white columns. A girl with curly blond hair with tears streaking her face and a boy with sandy blond hair of his own and a scar down his face. Blood trickled from the corner of the blond girl’s mouth as Raven heard her croak, "Family, Luke. You promised."

The blond boy stared at the knife in the girl’s hand and the blood on her face.

"Promise." He repeated back to her, and then gasped like he couldn't get air. "Annabeth..." He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his own body. "You're bleeding. . . ." He gasped again."He's changing. Help. He's . . . he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please—"

With that last desperate plea, Raven’s vision turned white again and the world went silent, except for a faint echo in the back of her mind.

“Save him,” it echoed.

When Raven regained herself, she was back in the McDonald’s bathroom, sitting on the floor and staring at the wall in front of her. She blinked hard several times, shaking her head and trying to process what just happened.

Had she just…. _gotten a vision_?

Raven pursed her lips. That was… That was something else. She’d never experienced something so strange and chilling… Well, that is, if you didn’t count being turned into a twelve year old and thrust into your favorite book series.

But what did it mean..? Well, obviously, the vision had just replayed a scene from _The Last Olympian_ for her. The scene where Luke stabbed himself to save Annabeth and everyone else from Kronos. But what did that voice mean: ‘Save him’?

Save Luke? Raven wasn’t even sure that was possible. Luke was pretty far gone, even in the first book… Not that Raven wouldn’t like to save Luke. Luke meant a lot to Annabeth and him helping Kronos hurt her a lot. Annabeth’s character had always meant a lot to Raven and she'd always felt… close to her, in a way. If she could stop her from getting hurt, Raven would do anything. But getting Luke back from Kronos? That was a tall order… But she supposed someone out there wanted her to try, so finally she sighed and added it in.

12\. Save Luke from turning evil (?)

For a brief moment, Raven wondered if convincing Luke not to join Kronos was even a smart thing to do. Would it be too big of a change? Would it stop Kronos from rising entirely and mess up everything? However, after a moment of consideration, Raven decided that was unlikely. After all, if she was a several-thousand-year-old, almighty titan, waiting for her revenge after centuries of imprisonment, she doubted her reaction to one kid refusing to join her would be “Oh well, guess you guys beat me, better go back to my eternal torment.”

Exiting the McDonald’s bathroom and heading outside, Raven walked along the street in front of Yancy Academy. It looked so big and scary, like an asylum. No wonder Percy had hated this place...

 _Good thing I won't be staying long,_ Raven thought to herself.  She just needed to find someone…

Turning the corner, eyes still on the building in front of her, Raven didn’t see the boy in front of her until it was too late. Raven and collieded with him, letting out a startled “oof!” And almost fell over. However, a moment later,  she felt a hand wrap around her wrist, keeping her from landing on the hard concrete.

“Geez, are you okay?” The boy asked, looking at her with concerned green eyes.

However, Raven was rendered speechless. She was completely caught off guard. She hadn’t at all prepared herself for _this_. Not for jet black hair and sea green eyes. Not for lightly tanned skin from spending summer after summer at the beach. The moment Raven looked into this boy's eyes and was reminded of the ocean, she knew she had landed into the middle of a situation she was not prepared for. 

“Percy...” Raven found herself saying before she could stop herself.

"Yeah?" the green-eyed boy gave her a confused look, raising an eyebrow, “Do I, uh, know you..?”

Raven immediately righted herself, her face turning red with embarrassment at her slip up. Trying to think of an acceptable response to cover up her mistake, Raven found herself at a lose. Not knowing what else to say, Raven ended up letting her instincts take over. After taking a deep breath, Raven gave the boy, Percy, a confident smile.

“Sorry, no, you don’t know me. Not yet anyway...”

Percy gave Raven a very confused look and Raven was already kicking herself. ‘You don’t know me yet’? What was that supposed to mean? Gods, why was she such a weirdo? Whatever. She just had to roll with it. Maybe try and play it off as vague and mysterious? Fighting to keep the confident smile on her face, Raven focused her attention back on Percy. 

“What..?” Percy looked confused. “What does that mean? Are you, like, transfering into one of my classes or something?”

Percy looked troubled, playing with a piece of paper in his hands. It looked to be a class schedule, maybe. Raven looked over curiously. A class schedule? Why would Percy have a class schedule? Students usually only got those at the beginning of the school year. But... the first book started towards the end of the school year, didn't it? 

Raven brushed the question off for now and focused on keeping up her confident facade on. Laughing a little, she replied, “Yeah, something like that. You could say we’ll be learning a lot together. Now, weird question: What day is it?”

Percy looked as though he had a lot of questions, but instead he answered, “September third…"

“Ah,” Raven hummed. So this was the beginning of Percy’s sixth grade year. Nearly a year before the beginning of the first book. Why was that? For some odd reason, her mind wandered back to her vision of Luke and Annabeth. She had no idea why, but something in her kept insisting that it was connected. Maybe it was to give her a chance to save Luke? After all, he was pretty far gone in the beginning of book one, but maybe not a year before it…?

Raven was brought out of thought when Percy waved his hand in front of her face, looking somewhat annoyed. “Hey! Are you listening to me? I asked you how you know my name.” Percy frowned and Raven blushed, embarrassed that she'd zoned out like that. 

“Sorry,” Raven said, “I heard one teachers around here call you that awhile ago.”

That wasn’t technically a lie. Chiron was a teacher around here and he had called Percy by name many times in her books. She just hadn’t heard him speak it out loud...

“Oh,” Percy said.

“Yup,” Raven smiled. “Anyway, sorry about running into you, I was just on my way to look for a teacher. You wouldn’t happen to know where Mr. Brunner’s room is, would you?”

Percy looked hesitant, “I'm not completely sure..? It’s only my third day here. I know it’s in that building there but I usually just follow my friend there...”

Raven gave a nod, “Thanks.”

“So, I guess I’ll see you in class..?” Percy said, awkwardly, as if he was itching to get out of their conversation as soon as possible. Not that Raven could blame him, she needed to get out very far away from Percy, as well. She was reaching dangerous freak out levels. But could anyone blame her, really? She was talking to the real, live, actual _Percy Jackson!_ And not only that she couldn't even figure out what exactly she was saying to him! He probably thought she was insane. She knew she probably _sounded_ insane.

“Yeah,” Raven even dared to smirk at him as she started towards the building he’d pointed her to. She almost immediately regretted it, feeling silly, but stuck with it, adding, “something like that...”

And with that, Raven nearly ran in the direction of Mr.Brunner’s building, trying desperately to contain herself until she was out of sight. When she finally rounded the building, she slumped against the wall and covered her face with her hands, screaming into her palms to muffle the sound. 

She’d just run into Percy Jackson!! The real deal Percy Jackson!! She couldn’t believe it. Her skin was tingling. That kid was going to save the world and she had just talked to him for the first time! Now if only she had kept her big mouth shut, maybe she wouldn't have come across as completely mental, but still, she'd talked to him. And hey, maybe he didn't see her as a weirdo. Maybe she really had come across as vague and mysterious like she'd meant to.

Yeah, that was a long shot, but it made her feel a tiny bit better, at least.

Either way, Raven quickly collected herself. Her mission wasn't done yet and as much as she would have adored to stick around and hang out with Percy, her mind kept wandering back to Luke and her vision. It was a strange, nagging feeling in her mind. Like someone constantly tugging on her sleeve, telling her she needed to get to Luke before it was too late.

She needed to get to Camp Half-Blood.

And that’s why she needed Chiron. As many times as Raven had read the books, she still, unfortunately, had no idea how to get to camp, and therefore, needed a guide.

Walking into the building Percy had pointed her to, Raven asked several students where she could find Mr.Brunner's room. She was met with quite a few rude comments and refusals to help. (Harshly reminding her that Yancy students pretty much all had behavioral issues.) However, thanks to a couple semi-helpful kids, Raven eventually found herself outside the Latin classroom of Yancy Academy.

Taking a deep breath, Raven knocked before entering.

After a moment, Raven heard a muffled voice telling her to enter and she opened the door. Inside, she found old Greek and Roman armor and writing in latin around the classroom and on the board. Just as she imagined it would look.

And there, sitting behind his desk, eyes caste downward as he went over homework assignments, was Chiron, the centaur who’d trained Percy and Annabeth and countless other heroes over thousands of years. And now she was going to train _her_...

Hopefully.

"Um, hello? Chiron?" Raven said without thinking. He looked up, startled by the named and stared at her wide eyed. Realizing her mistake, Raven quickly explained herself and raised her hands to show she meant no harm, "I'm Raven. I'm a half-blood."

"Yes…” Chiron said after a moment, nodding slowly, “I can see that. And what are you doing here, my girl?"

His voice was calm and soothing. There was something ancient in his voice, like you could hear the thousands of years he'd lived in his voice, but it was still strong all the same. Raven could feel herself relaxing and loosen up from just the sound of it. She was safe here.

"I need your help,” Raven replied, honestly, “I’m trying to find my way to Camp Half-Blood.”

* * *

An hour later Raven was sitting on the Camp Half-Blood bus, heading back to Camp. Her thoughts rattled around in her mind as if jostled by the bumpy road the bus was driving down. But however jumbled her thoughts became, they all lead back to one thing: Luke. Luke and the echoing voice in her head telling her to ‘Save him.’ At this point, it was getting to be a little much, and Raven found herself wanting to either tell the voice to shut up or demand it tell her how to save Luke. Because, if Raven was being perfectly honest, she had no idea how she was going to pull it off. Talking to him wouldn’t be enough. He’d never believe her, even if Kronos’s hold on him wasn’t that strong yet.

She considered showing him the books, but almost immediately decided against it. The knowledge her books contained, Raven knew it was powerful and her gut told her she wasn’t supposed to trust anyone else with their secrets except herself. So, even if Luke did believe that the books could tell the future, Raven didn’t want to risk him going to Kronos with that information. That would be disastrous.

No, Raven decided, right then and there, she couldn’t share the books with anyone. Not Luke, not Chiron, not even Annabeth or Percy. No one was to know.

But still, that left her at a loss for what to do about Luke. She wasn’t liking her odds, but she still had to try. For Annabeth. She was going to loss Thalia to the Hunters of Artemis and she deserved to have Luke there for her. Kronus could take refuge in someone else and corrupt them.

Every bump in the road had Raven’s stomach doing somersaults. She was actually heading to Camp Half-Blood, where heroes were trained to survive against monsters and fight in the name of the gods. She had to pinch herself every few minutes to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

But also, a part of Raven was sad and anxious. She couldn’t stop wondering…. What had happened to her sister and dad and brother? Her mother was Nemesis now, sure, so did that mean her real mom had stopped existing? Raven felt as though she should be heartbroken over that, but… No matter how hard she tried, she just wasn’t. In fact the only thing that had he so sad and anxious at all, was that she kept wondering what happened to Kelleigh.

Raven loved Kelleigh more than anyone else in the world… She felt wrong not knowing where she was or what happened to her. What if she just ceased to exist when Raven made her wish? If she was gone, Raven didn't know what she would do.

But that was only one of the many possibilities. More likely, Raven could assume that she’d simply been plucked from her family and made a half blood. The were probably fine, only with no memory of her, or something like that.

Raven just… she felt like she would know if her sister was just gone. Like there would be something missing inside her, but instead, she just kind of knew that her sister was alright. She could feel it.

Finally, after a long drive through the backroads of long island, Argus parked the van at the base of a giant hill where a tall pine tree sat, watching over them. Raven could only blink at it, feeling a weird mixture of excitement and intimidation.

Argus got out of the van as well, and Raven had to admit, he looked surprisingly normal for the eyes all over his body. That’s not to say she didn’t freak out when she’d first seen him, but she was surprised by how quickly was was getting used to him. He looked at her with all his eyes as if to ask: _Why are you just standing there?_

Raven pointed at the tree, guessing, "Thalia's tree?"

Argus just nodded.

They walked up the hill together and Raven had to focus on her breathing, trying to prepare herself for what lay beyond the hill. The home she’d always dreamed of. A place where she could finally, finally be herself. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing…

When they got to the top of the hill, the sun shone in Raven’s eyes, causing her to shield her face with her hands and squint in the brightness. It nearly made her heart stop to look below and see the valley from her wildest dreams and most wonderous fantasies spread out before her. There was a rock wall with lava flowing over the side and a strawberry field and a large wood. In the distance was the sight of long island sound. The cabins were off the side, one for each of the gods, though she was disappointed to remember that her mother didn't have a cabin and wouldn’t get one until the end of _The Last Olympian_.

The sight was beautiful all the same, though. Raven could see the big house at the bottom of the hill and a light on on the porch, beckoning her down. A calm, refreshing breeze blew back her dark curls and carried the scent of strawberries to her nose and she felt herself smile contentedly. This was her home now.

Feeling completely at peace for the first time in forever, Raven instantly felt as if she never wanted to leave this place. As if she belonged there and had no reason to ever want to leave again. Of course, she knew she had to, eventually to help Percy, but for now, she was here to stay. And with that comforting thought, Raven let Argus lead her down to the big house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors, it's been a long week at work.  
> As always, thanks for reading and please Kudos or Comment!!  
> -Delaney


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